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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2019 18:11:23 GMT
Xena: Warrior Princess was, and still is a big guilty pleasure. It has 90s era campy nonsense, an absurd timeline, goofy stunts, silly props, even sillier sets, but it also has amazing characters and some pretty awesome storytelling.
Xena's sword has always been an interest of mine. It appears to be a combination between an ancient Greek xiphos and an Indian tulwar.
The sword likely belonged to her father and was passed down to her following his brutal murder by her own mother. Gotta love those Greeks! The sword went through several variations on the show but the photos above depict the most prolific iteration. The fittings appear to be cast bronze with abalone shell inlay. The grip is wood wrapped in black leather. The sword itself measures 36 inches in total length with a 30 inch long blade and a rather large grip. There definitely are historical examples of xiphoi that are this size, but I think they tend to be less common. As for the construction, this appears to have a hidden tang construction with a peened pommel. The pommel itself is round and disc-like, which is definitely more like a tulwar hilt construction.
It occurred to me this morning, how could Xena's sword be more historically accurate?
Here is a replica xiphos made by Devil's Edge as an example.
The proportions of the grip are similar to Xena's sword, but the construction is different. The blade is full tang, the hilt is steel plates that are fixed to the sword blade. The grip is wood that is secured with pins and glue. The pommel is fascinating. It is ovoid in shape, solid wood, and is secured with a steel washer and is peened. So it appears that the blade is full tang until you get to the pommel, which is a hidden tang. It's a rather awesome construction.
Here is a better view of the grip and hilt components.
So I wondered. What would a more historically accurate version of Xena's sword look like if you combined the original elements with your typical xiphos? If you can forgive my crappy sketch, here is a proposal. I used a xiphos from my collection to get the proportions accurate. This is to scale.
The hilt plates could be made of steel, iron, bronze, or brass; my preference would be for brass or bronze, i.e. copper alloy. Abalone or mother of pearl inlay could be recessed into the hilt plates, with hidden pins underneath. I imagine a grip fashioned from ebony handle scales. Ebony wood is not indigenous to Greece, but whatever! If the ancient Greeks could get their hands on ebony wood, you know they would use it and love it; the grip would be secured with pins. As for the pommel, I imagine a lighter wood like African mahogany secured with a copper alloy washer and peened. Furthermore, the washer around the peen could be recessed slightly to insert a mother of pearl or abalone inlay.
What do you think? I think this is definitely feasible!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2019 18:43:54 GMT
Here is a more details sketch. The green outline is the blade blank.
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christain
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It's the steel on the inside that counts.
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Post by christain on Dec 22, 2019 22:34:19 GMT
I've always thought those xiphos swords looked kind of fantasy-ish, now I know why. I used to watch Xena all the time....and not for the swordplay.
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Post by MOK on Dec 22, 2019 23:58:15 GMT
I've been working on a simple Greek xiphos design (as opposed to the Italian and Macedonian designs you most often see reproduced), with the idea of making it simple and affordable to produce while also keeping it as historically authentic as possible with the frustratingly limited data at my disposal. Maybe you can get some ideas from my WIP layouts. PS. Also, here's a Pinterest board that seems to have most of the museum photos available online...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 0:08:17 GMT
This is awesome, MOK! I think my design is nearly identical to what you are looking for, with a few minor tweaks. This has the potential for a collaboration, I think! Would you like to pool resources? Here is a different sketch I did today. It has more angled features. In order to make it fit the sort of Xena aesthetic, I was thinking of copper alloy or just plain copper fittings. I would pin the grip scales, but keep them hidden underneath recessed holes for inlay. That's purely optional, of course. I also considered hammering the copper pieces for a textured look. Not exactly historical, but you certainly cannot say it is anachronistic. I must prefer your shorter handle design with the flared pommel piece. I think we are on the same wavelength.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 0:14:33 GMT
I might also add that in addition to being a redesigned Xena sword, the more angular design is what I would envision for Wonder Woman. Her sword is so ridiculous and not based on ANY actual history. It's like they didn't even try. So this design kills two birds with one stone.
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christain
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It's the steel on the inside that counts.
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Post by christain on Dec 23, 2019 0:30:43 GMT
MOK---That design of yours would be AWESOME as a CS Tac Machete!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 1:52:08 GMT
Here is a video of someone making their own xiphos. The grip is not historically accurate, but it's really gorgeous. I'm rather passionately in love with swords from antiquity. A xiphos is going to be my next project.
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Post by MOK on Dec 23, 2019 2:07:25 GMT
Sure, @lebleuchevalier , I wouldn't mind. I'll dig up some of my sources that are still on line (it's really frustrating how often niche forums get shut down and threads disappear). This is one of the surviving hilts I've used for reference: The gilded furniture has a somewhat Xena-ish look to it, don't you think? MOK---That design of yours would be AWESOME as a CS Tac Machete! What wouldn't?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 2:17:51 GMT
I agree about the gilded embellishments, MOK. I think so long as the basic profile is there, along with the construction method, one could have some variation. The hilt I proposed is not that dissimilar from some of these.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Dec 23, 2019 2:19:05 GMT
Okay I have to ask, how can a TV series fantasy sword be " historically accurate " ? I can say one thing though, I really liked Lucy Lawless aka Xena in Spartacus Gods of the Arena. We got to see so much more of her.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 2:19:38 GMT
Now who would be the go-to person in this small community of ours to create these blades? I think stock removal is the logical process rather than attempting to forge this. I think our very own Lyn Driggers would be a natural candidate.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 2:21:25 GMT
Okay I have to ask, how can a TV series fantasy sword be " historically accurate " ? I can say one thing though, I really liked Lucy Lawless aka Xena in Spartacus Gods of the Arena. We got to see so much more of her. It's a fantasy series set in ancient Greece. What I am proposing is tweaking the elements of the sword a bit. It's really not a far cry from a historical xiphos one would find in ancient Greece, but with a few modifications it could look more like a historical sword. OK, let's not call it a more historically accurate sword. Let's call it a Xena INSPIRED xiphos.
P.S. Lucy Lawless is beautiful in every way. I am constantly shocked by her lack of exposure. She should be in EVERYTHING.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Dec 23, 2019 3:04:02 GMT
We she definitely got more exposure in Spartacus.
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Post by MOK on Dec 23, 2019 3:19:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 3:24:48 GMT
These are outstanding references. Thanks, MOK!
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Post by MOK on Dec 23, 2019 3:37:51 GMT
BTW, Sword-Site also has great photos of another Italian xiphos, but due to past drama I think directly linking there is still no-no...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 3:39:07 GMT
BTW, Sword-Site also has great photos of another Italian xiphos, but due to past drama I think directly linking there is still no-no... Is this something you are looking to commission in the future?
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Post by MOK on Dec 23, 2019 7:32:19 GMT
Is this something you are looking to commission in the future? Might be! On the other hand, this type is so underrepresented on the reproduction market, it also seems like a good entry point into the industry if I ever manage to scrounge together the funds for something resembling a workshop...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2019 16:00:36 GMT
So, working from your design, MOK, I tweaked my design a little bit and came up with something I am very pleased with. It's in color and is to scale. It's historical, but it has some fantasy elements in it. I would like hammered copper fittings, ebony or blackwood grip scales and pommel, and the inlay material is mother of pearl, though it could be abalone shell. One could also live without the inlay stuff, but it's my fantasy. What do you think?
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